screeched; screeching; screeches
1
: to utter a high shrill piercing cry : make an outcry usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a shrill high-pitched sound resembling a screech
also
: to move with such a sound
the car screeched to a stop
: to utter with or as if with a screech
screecher
noun
Examples of screech in a Sentence
Verb
I screeched when I saw the mouse.
He kept screeching at the children to pay attention.
“You can't do this to me!” she screeched.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Its appearance may belie the truth, but this is not the demonic, screeching spider chasing people down that freaked you out in the movie Arachnophobia.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Some see the birds as beautiful new neighbors; others see screeching chaos with feathers.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Snorkel in subterranean rivers, swim with dolphins (for an extra fee, with reservations), duck at the sound of macaws screeching overhead, wander through a Day of the Dead display, and swing in a hammock beside a turquoise cove.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screech
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Verb
Inside, as the step and repeat cleared out and the cast entered, both the packed orchestra and two balconies screeched whenever a member of the cast entered.
—Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Its appearance may belie the truth, but this is not the demonic, screeching spider chasing people down that freaked you out in the movie Arachnophobia.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Some see the birds as beautiful new neighbors; others see screeching chaos with feathers.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Snorkel in subterranean rivers, swim with dolphins (for an extra fee, with reservations), duck at the sound of macaws screeching overhead, wander through a Day of the Dead display, and swing in a hammock beside a turquoise cove.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screech
Cite this Entry
“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screech. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
screech
1 of 2 noun
1
: a shrill harsh cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound like a screech
the screech of brakes
screech
2 of 2 verb1
: to cry out usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a sound like a screech
the car screeched to a halt
screecher
noun
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